George Klewitz Soward (27 August 1857 – 21 February 1941) was an architect and politician in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. he was a partner in the firm English & Soward from 1880 to 1925, renamed English, Soward & Jackman from 1926 to 1936. Among other buildings, the firm was known for designing

Beehive Corner The Beehive Corner is a landmark in the Adelaide city centre, on the north-eastern corner of King William Street and Rundle Street, centrally placed between the railway station and the city's shopping precinct. History The name gained curren ...

, the Epworth Building, and the

Queen Adelaide Club The Queen Adelaide Club is an exclusive women's club, similar to a gentlemen's club, in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It is named for Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, after whom the city of Adelaide was named. Founded in 1909, the c ...

Early life and education

Soward's father, George Soward ( – 1894) migrated to the colony of South Australia aboard '' Lady Emma'', arriving in October 1838. His wife Eliza Maria, née Maloney ( – 30 May 1855) and their daughter Eliza Maria Soward ( – 26 January 1901) arrived in December 1838 aboard the same ''Lady Emma'' from Launceston; they may have broken their journey in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. The couple had six children in total. George Soward Snr married again, on 24 June 1856 to Bertha Klewitz (?–1870); they had one son, George Klewitz Soward, born 27 August 1857 in Norwood, and two daughters: Bertha in 1859 and Emma Klewitz Soward in 1862. He married one more time, on 5 February 1873, to Eliza Deans (died 3 October 1875). George Soward Snr was a timber merchant,

ironmonger Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...

Clerk of Works A clerk of works or clerk of the works (CoW) is employed by an architect or a client on a construction site. The role is primarily to represent the interests of the client in regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship are ...

(1856) in the Colonial Architect's Department, and then Supervisor (1860) of Public Works. After Edward Hamilton's resignation in 1860, Soward was acting Colonial Architect for six months. Soward was educated at St Peter's College from 1867 to around 1874. There, in 1872, he won the Prankerd Scholarship for the study of a foreign language.

Career as an architect

Soward served his articles as an architect with architect Thomas English from 1877, then was taken on as his partner in the firm of

English and Soward George Klewitz Soward (27 August 1857 – 21 February 1941) was an architect and politician in South Australia. he was a partner in the firm English & Soward from 1880 to 1925, renamed English, Soward & Jackman from 1926 to 1936. Among other bu ...

around 1880. The practice continued under this name after the death of Thomas English in 1884, with his son Joseph English (died 1927).>

Herbert Montefiore Jackman Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

(1897–1968) joined the practice from 1926 to 1936, with the practice known as English, Soward & Jackman. Soward was architect to the

South Australian Jockey Club South Australian Jockey Club is the principal race club in South Australia. First racing events The first horse racing events in South Australia took place at a well-attended picnic meeting held over 1 and 2 January 1838. In August 1838, ridin ...

, and designed several

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

s, including one at

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

. His architectural work, much of it in partnership with English and his son, includes a number of buildings that are now heritage-listed, including

and The Griffins Hotel in

Hindmarsh Square Hindmarsh Square/Mukata (formerly Mogata) is one of five public squares in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It is located in the centre of the north-eastern quarter of the city, and surrounds the intersection of Grenfell and Pulten ...

Political career

Soward had long experience as a councillor with the Glenelg Town Council, and served as mayor from 1896 to 1898. He was a member of the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was creat ...

for

Torrens Torrens may refer to: Places South Australia * Electoral district of Torrens, a state electoral district * Lake Torrens, a salt lake north of Adelaide * River Torrens, which runs through the heart of Adelaide * Torrens Building, a heritage-liste ...

from 3 May 1902 to 26 May 1905.

Family

Soward's half-sister Eliza Maria Soward married

C. A. Hornabrook Charles Atkins Hornabrook (1833 – 26 August 1903) was a businessman in the colony of South Australia who made a fortune from property development in the city of Adelaide and investments in Broken Hill Proprietary and other mining prospects. He ...

on 18 March 1857. Soward married Emmy Lucy Charlotte Beare on 7 April 1880 at St Barnabas Church in Clare. They had two daughters, Helen Daisy and Marjorie, and a son, Lewis Douglas. The family lived at 62 The Mall (now Moseley Street) in Glenelg.

Other roles and activities

Soward was an inaugural member of the

South Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

in 1886, resigning for a while after discovering that Joseph English (not a member of SAIA), was charging former clients of his father less than that recommended by the body. He later became a fellow, but he was apparently not a popular member owing to his "forceful views". Soward was a director of the Glenelg Railway Company and the City Permanent Building Society, and was a prominent member of the Council of the

National Defence League The National Defence League (NDL) was an independent conservative political party, founded in 1891 by MLC Richard Baker in South Australia as an immediate response to the perceived threat from Labor. Though renamed the Australasian National Lea ...

. He also wrote several works, including a novel called ''The Mirthful Mutineer'', which was published in the '' Australian Woman's Mirror'', a

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

magazine. Maintaining a strong interest in history, his article "One Hundred Years of Building" was published in '' South Australian Homes and Gardens'' in 1936.

Notable buildings

Notable buildings designed by Soward, many of which are

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

, include: *

Grandstand addition (1889) *

* Epworth Building * Glenelg Oval Grandstand * Grandstand at

Morphettville Racecourse Morphettville Racecourse is the main horse racing Race track, course for the Australia, Australian state of South Australia, incorporating two separate tracks. It is situated in the Adelaide suburb of Morphettville, South Australia, Morphettvi ...

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

Sports Pavilion on War Memorial Drive * St Corantyn, originally "Eöthen", residence for Charles and Eliza Hornabrook

Death and legacy

Soward died on 21 February 1941. He was buried at St Jude's Anglican Church in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soward, George Klewitz 1857 births 1941 deaths Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Mayors of places in South Australia